One relationship of mine that has become closer over time is that of me and my best friend from high school, Rachel. Our relationship began as an I-You relationship. We happened to sit next to each other in sixth grade math, and had a few other classes together as well. During the I-You stage, we talked about normal things sixth graders chitchat about- the teachers, the homework, cute boys. Since we had three or so classes together, we'd also get to talking about the movies we'd seen or what we had planned for the weekend. However, early on in the relationship, we tended to avoid more intimate topics. We didn't talk much about each others families or who we were currently crushing on. Secrets weren't traded, and our banter tended to be light and on the surface. Fast forward 8 years, and one can clearly see we are in an I-Thou stage now. We literally talk about everything. We've cried together, shared hundreds of secrets, and know every little thing about each others' family. We have a huge shared field of experience, due to numerous classes together, going on big trips together, and experiencing emotional events together. However, due to our different family styles and upbringings, our field of experiences do differ slightly. I'm much more careful and reserved, while she tends to be more daring and outgoing. As a result, I've tended to stick with somethings and get to know the same groups of people deeper, while she likes to move around and meet many new people. None of these differences have affected our relationship together though. We are as close as any two best friends could be, even attending different colleges in different cities, and it doesn't look like our relationship will ever change.
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3 comments:
Dear Lind$ay,
I enjoyed reading your post and I can definitely relate. I have friendships where we have different fields of experience and different personalities, but even still we are still able to maintain our close relationships. That's what true friendship is.
I liked reading about your "I-You" relationship. It seems typical that you start to notice things you share in common and see the person as special and unique. It is like a basic level of trust based on commonality. The "I-Thou" relationship you have with your friend shows how close you two are. No matter what, you respect each other and your differences, and want to maintain your relationship.
I have some friends that are just acquaintances and others who I have known for years. The ones I have known for years are those I trust. They know me and respect me. I know they have my best interest at heart. I value their opinion. It's nice to have people like that in our lives.
Great post. Thanks for sharing!
-rompersb
Dear Lind$say,
First thing that came to my mind after reading this, i thought, wow!! Its crazy how you've know each other since sixth grade, became best friends, and share an unbreakable bond ^_^. I never had a friendship like that, although i've known someone for six years that i'm still good friends with, but nothing close to yours haha. I think its actually amazing that you have someone, beside parents, to rely on, come to when things are bad, share secrets, and go places with each other.
Most of the time when people have things that separate them, they tend to lose touch, like if someone moves. In your case, you guys didn't let that dilemma occur, which is great. Who knows, your friendship could be an inspiration for others :).
Really good post @_@
-lead_succeed
Lin$say
That’s perfect example of how the type of relationships change over time. It’s funny to see that even in my experiences as a male, I’ve also grown to talk about the almost the same subjects as you and your friends with my friends. I would normally talk about cute girls, things we did over the week, or random stuff that has happened to me. Additionally, I’ve had a lot of friendships that have grown from a I-You relationship to a I-Thou relationship. However, they also seem to go back down the relationship ladder back down to a I-it relationship. It’s almost as if relationships, much like other things life, come full circle back to the beginning.
Anyways, thanks for sharing your story and good luck this semester.
-Jossshhuaa
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